Pokeshipping Week Day 5: Sleep
by NijiBrush
Summary: HAPPY POKESHIPPING WEEK (Ash by himself? Who would stop him from accidentally killing himself then? Would there be anyone around to keep him in line when his crazy ego got in the way of good sense? Or even...even his heart, it was almost too big for his own good sometimes, wasn't it?)


**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

 **Happy Pokeshipping Week, it's been awesome so far! Here's my take on day five, enjoy. :)**

(Misty's POV)

What was the last thing I remembered anyway? Slowly blinking my eyes open I saw Brock slumped across from me with a whisk still gripped in his hand. Curled up next to him was Vulpix and it was obvious they were both out cold. And looking at their faces made it pretty clear why.

"Oh great…" I whispered slowly as I reached to rub my forearm across my face until I guessed the black smudges of ink had disappeared. Brock had been fixing breakfast, right? Yeah, right before that Jigglypuff jumped us like all the million times before. Glancing down I saw Togepi leaning into an equally unconscious Pikachu. Togepi was sporting random squiggly lines while Pikachu had spirals encircling his red cheeks. I grinned. He almost looked like a Poliwag now.

I kept that grin on my face until I felt a weight shift slightly on my shoulder. Glancing to my right though, made that smile slip right off my face like water through your open fingers. You'd think with Ash looking so ridiculous that I wouldn't have had any trouble smiling, or even busting out laughing for that matter. I mean it's not like he would have hesitated to bust a gut at my expense if I had blocky marker eyebrows. I frowned a little. In fact, I could remember plenty of times that he had done just that for a lot less funny reasons. And if he had showed any more signs of waking up I would have just pushed him off my shoulder and probably pointed and laughed. He would just blink looking more confused than ever before he finally caught on to the eyebrows and double x drawn across his face.

But he didn't move again. No he was still fast asleep. Was that why I didn't smile? Why I didn't dream of laughing…? Was it because for once with everyone else asleep I could just look at him honestly? Maybe… Not that I really knew what looking at him honestly meant. I guess part of it had to do with… I bit my lip before I turned my head and stared at the ground instead.

Part of it had to with admitting things to myself that I didn't really feel ready to admit. Or comfortable doing anyway. Ash Ketchum was no prince charming so the fact that my heart was beating a little faster now made me feel like Jigglypuff had written "idiot" across my face instead. But it wasn't the first time I'd felt so stupid for...well falling for someone so dense. Almost like he wanted to drive home that point he suddenly snored loudly as he started to drool on my arm.

Frowning at him I sighed. I really wasn't sure why I even wasted my time on a romantic thought about Ash of all people. It was ridiculous, as ridiculous as you could get. "Gimme a break Ash…" I mumbled as I shrugged a little hoping maybe I'd shove him off. But he didn't even budge he just snored again. Sighing I gave up, maybe on everything… If I was dumb enough to rope myself into following him around I probably deserved whatever I got. I felt my eyes narrow as I stared back at the blades of grass slowly moving in the breeze.

And I already knew what I was going to get. A lot of trouble and when it was all said and done...probably a broken heart. Because Ash and trouble, they were almost like one and the same. And as far as human emotions went, there was no way he'd ever catch on. Maybe I just wondered how it all would finally end. Would I just keep following him forever or would he just drift away someday…? I felt myself frown wider as something in my chest tightened.

Ash by himself? Who would stop him from accidentally killing himself then? Would there be anyone around to keep him in line when his crazy ego got in the way of good sense? Or even...even his heart, it was almost too big for his own good sometimes, wasn't it? Would he make it okay with always putting himself in danger for everybody else? He never took the time to think anything through, he just jumped into action never worrying what might happen because of it. I smirked as I glanced back at him still drooling on my shoulder.

And why should he bother worrying when somehow he'd managed to get me to do it for him. To worry enough for both of us… If I was smart I'd just try to forget about him, wouldn't I? Maybe I should have just walked away after that first day when he destroyed my bike. But I hadn't...and now...now I kinda figured I never could. Because now...it was like all those subtle feelings I'd been curious about when we first met, when I saw how he cared for his Pokemon, now they weren't…

They weren't just hints anymore. Like pieces of something small that could have just as easily never amounted to anything. No, now they were all wrapped up in every part of me and I didn't figure I'd ever get them all out. Every hint was so much more now. They were like something sticky that I'd managed to get stuck in. Even if it seemed too hard to believe or just too ridiculous… The truth was, of all the people my heart was too big for...that I'd blindly put my neck on the line for...well…

Well, he was at the top of the list, wasn't he?

If he'd just been a crush, even though he'd be the first, well I don't think it would have mattered so much. But he'd weaseled himself into so much more than that. And the funny thing was he hadn't even been trying to. But like it or not he'd made himself my best friend, and with that came some kind of entitlement. It meant I'd be loyal to him even if he was a complete idiot. Because he was _my_ idiot, _my_ responsibility, _my_...friend.

He was so far from perfect I wanted to laugh when I thought about it. But...so was I... So why was it that if I let myself...if I just let myself...I could feel something that seemed just that? Perfect, like it always had been. Perfect like...like I hoped it always would be. Was that love? Was that like all the stories I'd read? All the dreams I'd had since I was a little girl…? I always thought the day you met that person, that person you'd want to spend the rest of your life with, I thought it would be so different than it actually was. Did that make it real? Or just crazy?

But the thing was...right now forever seemed about as far off as it ever would be. And nothing was set in stone no matter how I felt. And maybe that was the hardest thing… Because even though I felt like he really was my burden, he still could...he could still just slip away, right? As easily as our lives came together I guessed they could drift apart. But I guess that just had a lot to do with how he felt. If I was special enough for him never to forget. If I meant to him even half of what I knew he meant to me. And that's what hurt so much… Knowing that it wasn't really just my feelings that mattered. No, I still had to trust him. Trust that no matter what he'd...never forget about me. Maybe it wasn't easy for me to trust anyone, maybe all the years I'd spent mostly alone had done that? But either way I knew I didn't have a choice. Because in the end it was out of my hands, and at least half of it was in his…

His hands…

Without even realizing it I felt a tiny smile drift to my face. If it had been my life I wouldn't have sooner trusted it anywhere else. Because I knew that come what may, he'd always find a way to stick up for his friends. He'd be there putting his neck on the line without ever thinking it through. And maybe that was just because he had already thought about it? Because he knew when a friend was in danger you really had no other choice but to help them. I did trust Ash. With my life it was easy. But with my heart...well I was just afraid. Afraid I wasn't good enough, afraid something would happen to break everything. Forever seemed so far away I wasn't sure how adults ever even made it there in the first place.

But maybe I'd just have to believe that it was possible…? To trust that it was possible for me just like everyone else…

"Wha...happened…?" I suddenly heard mixed in with a yawn as Ash slowly stirred to life beside me.

For a second all I could do was look at him, and for that second I figured everything was written all over my face. Not that I figured he could read it anyway… But I knew I couldn't take the chance one way or the other.

I frowned playfully as I crossed my arms. "Well, sleeping beauty, I had to endure you snoring in my ear and drooling all over me for one thing."

He just blinked at a loss before he pointed toward my face and laughed. I guessed I'd missed a spot…

I smirked. "Maybe you should take a good look at yourself while you're so busy laughing!"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry Misty, it just sorta reminded me of that time Team Rocket gave you that make over." He bit his lip before busting out laughing even louder. "Maybe Jigglypuff understands fashion too!"

"Oh you're really going to bring that up again?!" I shouted as I reached over and grabbed both his scribbled cheeks and pulled them back until his face matched his attitude.

"Wey! Wut it out!" He mumbled as he tried to wriggle out of my grasp.

I smirked wider. "Maybe you should have thought first before you insulted a girl's looks!"

"Wey!" He shouted back as I pulled harder. But we both stopped and turned toward Brock when we heard him laugh.

He smiled at us as he ran a sleepy hand through his hair. "Well, at first I worried something might have happened, but at least it seems like everything's pretty normal."

Letting go of Ash's face I frowned at him. "Yeah, _too_ normal if you ask me..."

He just pulled down his bottom eyelids as he stuck his tongue out at me. Which got him a punch in the arm for his trouble.

Brock sighed. "Well, maybe I should just get back to breakfast..."

About twenty minutes later we were surrounded by stacks of pancakes and Ash was doing a pretty decent job of finishing at least half of them himself. "These are really good Brock!" He said in a rare moment when his mouth was empty.

Brock just smiled while I rolled my eyes at him and stabbed a piece of my pancake with a fork. Right then it seemed like everything I'd been thinking about was a million miles away. Maybe even like they were just a dream I'd woken up from. Maybe they were…? Maybe I was crazy to think about any of it…?

"Hey Misty," I heard Ash suddenly say as he scooted a little closer on the log next to me. Glancing him I saw his face was a mix of confusion and a small smile. "You're not still sore about what I said are you?"

For a second I was surprised he cared enough to even bother asking. But I grabbed my composure and frowned playfully at him. "And if I am Ash?" I asked indifferently turning back to my pancake.

"Uh…" He mumbled for a few long seconds in thought before he frowned. "Um then sorry I guess…" He smiled a little as he scratched at his face awkwardly. "I mean it wasn't just you, I looked pretty funny too."

I smirked at him. "You mean more than usual?"

He frowned before giving me a smug look. "Haha very funny Misty..."

I grinned a little bit before I reached over to lightly flick his nose. "Just finish your breakfast." Then I narrowed my eyes as I smirked a little wider and elbowed him in the side. "That is assuming you can fit anything else." I laughed a little. "In fact, since all you do is eat and sleep, I guess you'd make a pretty great Snorlax."

Brock looked up from his plate and smiled at us with a chuckle. "Hey, she might have a point there Ash."

Ash's face switched to a playfully annoyed pout, before he grinned smugly. "Well, it's better to be a Snorlax than have a face like a Jinx…"

"What was that!?" I shouted as I grabbed the side of his face again.

He laughed nervously. "Nothing Misty, it was nothing! Honest!"

Letting go of him in a huff I crossed my arms. "Like I believe that…"

After that he just went back to stuffing his face. But when I peeked a glare at him he glanced me out of the corner of his eye. I made a face at him, but instead of returning it like I figured he would he just… He just smiled.

It was that goofy grin that showed most of his teeth and caused his nose to crinkle. It was the same smile that always had a way of making my stomach feel suddenly upset. It was the same smile that made his brown eyes gleam a little I guess. But mostly today...today I noticed it was the same smile that made me think maybe…

Just maybe…

I could trust him with everything after all...

FIN

 **Thanks so much for reading! Please let me know what you thought with a review if you'd like! :D**


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